Apparatus for treating battery-plates.



G. H. RABENALT.

APPARATUS FORIREATING BATTERY PLATES. APPLICATION FILED rBB.6,1913.

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3 2? 4 6 f4 8 .9 i f Patented July 21, 1914.

ATTORNEYS ommen dfs'raans jrarnivi carica.

GUSTV H. BABENLT, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, SSGNOR T0 GOULD STORAGE IBATIQRY COMPANY, A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK. i

APPARATUS FOR. TREATIN'G BATTERY-PLATES.

T0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GUsTAv H. RABENALT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Buffalo, county of Erie, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Treating Battery-Plates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for treating battery plates, and more especially for increasing the active surface of )asted storage battery plates.

One o ject of the invention is to provide an arrangement embodying a die for roughening the surface of the active material of Storage battery plates to increase the surface, and which arrangement will permit of the surface of the paste being set or hardened as by'cheinical action, while the die is still in engagement therewith.

Further objects, features and advantages will more clearly appear fromthc detailed description given below taken in connect-ion with the accompanying sheet of drawings which forms a part of this specilication.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a section through an apparatus illustrating my invention in its broader aspects. lig. 2 is a section through an apparat-us yillustrating my invention in a more improved forni, and Fig. 3 shows in perspective a portion of the two dies with the intermediate plate of Fig. 2, the dies and plate being broken away at different heights.

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 represents a shallow dish made of any suitable material for holding sulfuric acid. 2 represents a second dish also designed to hold sulfuric acid'so that its side walls are. made of acid-resistin material. Set in the bottom of the dish 2 is a die 3 constructed of porous material capable of substantially,resisting attack by sulfuric acid. I find that a material known as alundum is suitable for this purpose, and although I have used wood, any other porous material which is not too readily attacked by the reagent used in the dish 2 may be used. The lower face of the die 2 is roughened as by having a series of small grooves.

extending tliereover.

In operation a battery plate (for instance, one composed of a grid having strengthenf .ing ribs 4 and intermediate conductors 5 of iiiactive material which carry and support.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application led February 6, 1913.

Serial No. 746,483.

the lead oxid paste G) is laid on the bottom4 Thereupon the dish 2 con? of the dish 1. taining sulfuric acid is placed upon the battery plate and the die 3 forcedinto. the top face of the paste of the plate so as to increase the surface of the` paste tol increase the active area thereof. W'hile'the die remains thus pressed into the-paste and even as it is being pressed into the paste the sulfuric acid permeates through the pores of the die and attacks the paste, formingA sulfate which causes the surfaceofthepasteto harden or set so that after about a minute the dish 2 with its die3 maybe removed without any danger of it pulling any ofthe paste with it. The other side of the battery Patented Juiy 21, 191e.

plate may then be treated inthe same' to sulfuric acid. Each of thecontainersis open on one side and these open portions are closed by dies 10 and 11 respectively. Each of the dies 10 and 11 is made of porousmaterial adapted to resist chemical attack by the contents of the containers, as already described in connection with the die 3. Each die 10 and 11 is also roughened on its outer face, as by being grcoved or providedy with irregular projections and indentations. The container 8 abuts against a fixed standard 12 -while the container 9 is adapted .to be moved toward the container 8 by means-of a sci-ew 18, and hand wheel 14.

Adjustably carried upon twov upright standardsr 15 and 16,'as by set screws 17, are two platforms 18 and 19. These platforms are adapted to carry large. glass reservoirs 20 and 21 respectively. Each reservoir .is provided with an outlet -22'in its bottom, each having a stop cock 23. Each outlet 22 is connected to one of the containers by a .pasito side ,of the batteur plate bv means ttl,

of the screw 13,' so that both dies 10 and taneously with this, or before the dies have been removed from engagement with the paste the cocks 23 are opened, permitting the sulfuric acid in the containers 8 and 9 to pass through the pores of the dies under the head of pressure of the sulfuric acid in the reservoirs 20 and 21, so that the acid acts on the paste to set or harden both sides thereof at the same time by the formation of sulfate, whereby the dies may be removed in about a minute without danger of pulling the paste away with them. being again closed, little or no further acid will pass through the dies, due to atmospheric back pressure. This sulfating action is preferably only allowed to act on the paste for a slight depth, it being found that after one or two minutes the setting has become sutiiciently deep so that the dies may be removed. In this state the surface of the paste is firm or hard, with respect to the paste farther away from the surface. The amount of or rate of acid flowing through the dies may be regulated to regulate the speed and depth of set by changing the pressure head by adjusting the height of one or both of lthe reservoirs 20 and 21, each being adjusted to operate under a different pressure if desired, to compensate for differences in permeability of the porous dies. After this surface treatment by sulfating and increasing the elfective area 0f the plate, the paste may be subjected to anyvfurther treatment the particular paste composition may require. Any other suitable reagent or means mayy be used for settingthe surface of the paste so that the paste will not stick to the dies when they are removed, but it is important to my. invention in its best form that the setting action occur while thej die is still engaged with the paste. The containers 20 and 21, or dish 2, act as efficient and simple means for supplying the setting reagent to the dies, and cause it to pass through the pores thereof, and the dies being` porous they form a simple and .efficient means for conveying the reagent to the paste before the dies are removed, although other meansninay be used for this purpose if the setting action occurs while the dies are still engaged with Jthe paste.

While I have described my improvements in great detail and with respect to certain particular embodiments thereof, I do not desire to be limited to such details except as clearly specified in the appended claims,

since radical changes and modifications may well be made without departing from the spirit'y and scopey of my invention in its broader aspects. y

Having fully and clearly described my he cocks 23 l Nogara p improvements, what I claim' as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

=1. The combination of twoporous dies adapted to be applied to the. opposite sides of a pasted battery plate respectively and means for supplying a reagent to sind dies and causing the reagent to pass through the :face thereof adapted to be applied to the other side ofthe plate, and means for sup plying to the container underv pressure a reagent adapted to pass through the pores of the die and set the paste.

4. The combination of an acid proof porous die having a rough face adapted to be applied to the surface of a pasted battery plate to increase the vactive area thereof and means for supplying a reagent to said diel and causing the reagent to pass through the pores of the die to set or harde-.n.the paste.

5. The' combination of a die having a rough face 'adapted to be applied to the sulfface of a pasted battery plate to increase the active area thereof and meanscoperating therewith for supplyin a v'reag ;ent to set or harden said surface while the die is engaged therewith. l

6. Means for increasing the active area of pasted battery plates comprising a container for a reagent adapted to set the surface of the paste, said container having a porous die in one face thereof adapted to increase vthe active area of the paste and ermit the reagent to pass therethrough an act upon said surface to set the same.

7. A device of the class described, com-- prising a liquid container, said container having in one vface thereof a porous die with a rough face adapted to increase the active surface area of the battery plate substantially for the purposes described.

8. The combination 'of two containers each having a porous die in one face thereof adapted to engage the opposite sides of a pasted battery plate respectively, to increase the active area of the paste' thereof,

means for moving said containers relatively.

to one another to engage a pasted plate, means for supplying a reagent to said containers, under pressure, and varying the pressure under which said reagent is so supplied.

9. The combination of two containers each having a porous die in one face thereof adapted to engage the opposite sides of a pasted battery plate respectively, to increase Cpores of thedies to set or harden the paste.

the active area of the paste thereof, means for moving said containers relatively to one another to engage a pasted late, means for supplying a reagent to saidp containers, under pressure, and varying the pressure under which said reagent is so supplied, said last mentioned means embracingtwo reservoirs, one for supplying each container respectively, and means for adjusting the helght of said reservoirs independently of one another.

10. The combination of a container for a reagent for setting the surface of the paste of a battery plate, said container having a porous die in one face th'ereof for increasing the active area of the face'of the plate, and means for varying the pressure of the liquid in-the container upon said porous die.

l1. The combination of a container for a reagent for setting the surface of the paste.;

Acombination of two porous dies having each a face adapted to be applied to the surface of a pastedbattery plate to increase theactive area thereof, and means for forcing said dies together to engage a pasted plate to increase the active area of both sides of said late simultaneously.

13. In a device of the class described, the

combination of two dies having each a face adapted to be applied to the surface of 'a pasted battery plate to increase the active area thereof, means coperating'with said dies for supplying a reagent to set or harden the active surfaces of the plate while the dies are en aged therewith, and means for forcing sai d1es together to engage a pasted plate to increase the active area. of both sides of said plate simultaneously.

14. In a device of the class described, the combination of two dies having each a face adapted to be applied to the surface of a pasted battery plate, means coperating with said dies for supplying a reagent to set or harden the active surfaces of the plate while the dies are enga ed therewith, and means for forcing said ies together to engage a pasted'plate. 1

15. The combination of two porous walls 6,0 through which a reagent is adapted to permeate to react with the paste of a battery late lto harden the paste, and means forl orcing-said two walls together to engage the opposite faces of a battery plate respec- 86 tively.

16. A device for setting the surface of the-il paste of'battery plates having a porouswall-"" through which a reagent is adapted-toper-J meate to set or harden 4the paste of the 70'l plate and means fon'mp lyin the reagent 'f to said porousw'allunder digferent pressures.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my v name to this specificatiom in the presence of two subscribin witnesses.

G STAV H. RABENALT.`

Witnesses:

D. M. NOBLE, FRED. C. GEYER. 

